Taking Care of You
by Yukiko-sama
Summary: When Sam and Mikaela have to leave for the weekend, where will the Autobots go? Why, the hands of a good friend of course! Too bad their friend has no idea what they've gotten themselves into. [2007 Movieverse]Finally, Chapter 6!
1. Chapter 1

Ok, this is the second story I've ever posted. The first one was a complete crash and burn. watches the smoke continue to billow And I expect this one to as well, but oh well. I had the idea pop into my head, and I was about to go crazy if I didn't type it out.

Anywho, this is probably gonna turn out to be nothing big and something i'll probably plop somewhere to collect dust. But I hope someone enjoys it anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not have any ownership of Transformers, or the Micheal Bay 2007 Movie, Transformers. Please do not sue me. I have no money and no life. falls to knees and cries "Noooooooo!"

Taking Care of You

"Come on, Carlie. It's just for the weekend. Please!"

Why wasn't I surprised. If it's not food, then it's the most bizarre of favors.

I let out an exasperated sigh and gave in. "Alright! But just this once!"

A hushed 'yes!' could be heard over the other end. I could not help but smile. "Bring them over around 6pm tonight. But remember, just this once, Sam! I've got kids to take care of after all."

With a quick, "yes ma'am!" he hung up the phone. My ear was still pressed to the ear piece as I heard the small 'click' and then a dial tone.

Sighing once again, I turned it off and placed the phone back on the charger. "I'm such a softie." The sarcasm rolling off my tongue.

I could hear the children playing out in the field, their laughter echoing into the house. "I'd better not find ya'll tossing around in Moo's muddy pig pen again!"

Gasps followed and then the sound of scrambling feet could be heard. A small laugh escaped me. "kids..."

Grabbing my hat and some gloves, I made my way outside. Destination? The hose. With a little playfulness in my voice, I gave a great shout, "Alright you little devils, who gets the hose first!?" I laughed as they made a dash across the field trying to get away as fast as their adolescent legs could carry them.

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"Thank you so much, Carlie. I know today was a bit last minute, but my boss was having a conniption over the new housing development plans."

A business woman in her 40s stood in the doorway with a grateful smile brandishing her face. The small arms of a little girl clung to her business skirt.

"It's all right, Mrs. Jenson. It's always a pleasure to have little Miss Judie around." I got to my knees and held out my arms. The child smiled and ran into them, giving me the tightest bear hug she could muster.

"Thanks again. Come on, sweetie." Taking her daughter's hand, they made there way out of the house and to the car. As Judie was being strapped into her booster seat, she gave a quick wave.

I smiled and waved back.

Children, such sweet and innocent little beings. All my life, I've loved caring for children. Even as a child, I took care of them. Mum always said I was born to be a mother. That's why I opened up my home as a small daycare. I deemed it a fantastic idea since there's so much space on the ranch.

A small shuffling of feet caught my attention. Closing the screen door, I swept into the hallway and saw my cousin holding a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread. A slow smile crept on my face.

"Peanut butter? My favourite." With a quick wink, I softly guided her back into the kitchen to make her sandwich.

I watched her eat slowly and silently. I couldn't help but notice how much she looked like her mother. How long has it been now? Two years? Two years since the terrible accident.

I'm always in awe at how well this one, little child took her own mother's death so well. Of course, she cried, but over all, she did not sink into a horrible depression as I had feared.

Every time the subject of her mother would come up. She would simply say, "Mom's up there." and point skyward. "And she's watching over me."

Smiling, I reached out for her arm and held it lightly.

"Adrianna? I've got a little favor to do for a friend this weekend." The little girl peered from behind her peanut butter sandwich, curiosity in her eyes.

"Sam asked me to take care of some stuff for his friends while he's off with his parents on vacation. So we're gonna' have a bit of a crowded field. But no worries, I'm sure it won't hinder you or those little rascals from making a mess of the place."

I could hear a little giggle come from behind the sandwich.

"Where's Sam going?"

"He's going out to visit some distant relatives. He'll be taking Mikaela too, so I'm afraid we'll have to survive on our own this weekend."

She seemed a little downcast at the mention of that. Every weekend Mikaela would come down to the ranch and help us with the fields.

I felt compelled to cheer her up. So it seems a little jeer was in order. I leaned back on my chair and folded my hands behind my head. "Well, that's right by me. I'd say this will be the most relaxing of weekends. What with you two devils separated for once."

"Hey!" she squeaked out indignantly. With a burst of laughter, I ruffled her hair and made a quick dash out of the kitchen before I could be reprimanded."

As soon as I heard her whine a loud, "Caaaarliiiiiiiiiiiie!" The honk of a car horn blasted from outside. I made my way to the front.

"Adrianna, Sam's here!" I shouted across the house. The sound of a chair scraping the floor and the clatter of a plate could be heard. "Coming!"

I pushed the screen door open and worked my way outside. "Hey Sam!"

My steps faltered at the end of the porch stairs as I took in the scene before me.

"What the-? How did you get all of these cars here!?"

Sam Witwicky smiled sheepishly as he finished stepping out of his Camaro. "Mikaela helped me out." As soon as that was said, Mikaela hopped out of the car. "Hey, Carlie—."

I couldn't' help but give Sam an incredulous look. Huh…Two people, four cars. And they were both in the same vehicle. If that's not a little fishy, I don't know what is.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Adrianna came bolting out of the house, straight for Sam. "Sam, Mikaela!"

Immediately, their faces lit up at the sight of her. Sam ran over and picked her up, Mikaela coming up next to them. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

I finally closed the space between myself and the group. "So, let's take a look at the temporary additions to the household, shall we?"

Walking around them, I took notice of the eccentric ensemble before me.

A light whistle escaped from my lips. "Geeze, that's one heck of a paint job there. Who 'pimped' the truck?" I lifted my eyebrow at the flames slicking across the 18-wheeler's body.

Sam let loose a nervous laugh. "My friend has…um…unique tastes?"

I laughed whole-heartedly and moved on. "Nice GMC! Look at the truck bed! It's huge!" I gripped at the side and looked questioningly at Sam. "May I?"

Without a second thought, He waved his hand in acceptance, "Sure."

Jumping into the back, I made a slight squeal of delight. "Look at this, oh my, it's got everything!" Pushing open the back window, I stuck my head inside. My voice was muffled as I ranted on about everything.

"What was that?" Mikaela shouted with a hint of amusement in her voice.

I poked my head back out of the window. "Huh? Oh! Nothing. Never mind."

Hopping down, I walked over to the Hummer. "Wow, I didn't know you knew anyone in the medical field, Sam."

"Uh, yeah…you know how it is. Summer time. Make new friends. Nothing out of the norm."

I heard Mikaela snort at that comment and my head slightly turned to the left in question.

Sam just shrugged his shoulders. "So, we'll just be gone for the weekend. Hopefully, it's not too much of a burden."

I smiled once more. I've been doing that a lot lately… "It's no problem. Really. I'll make sure they're taken care of. There aren't any horses staying at the ranch this summer, so my schedule is pretty empty."

"Okay. We're just gonna make sure everything is in order, then head out."

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"I don't know about this, Sam. We don't even know this person."

Sam sighed, "Don't worry. She's cool. I doubt anything will happen. Besides, what do you want me to do? That government facility hasn't finished being renovated, and it's not like I can let you stay at my house, especially after everyone destroyed my parent's backyard. And I really don't think leaving all of you to wander around with no safe place to stay would be plausible. Besides, it's only for a week. I'm sure things will be ready by the time I get back."

"Yeah, I'm sure everything will work out fine, Optimus." Mikaela rested her arm around Sam's shoulder and nodded in reassurance.

"Just make sure nothing happens while we're gone." Sam and Mikaela hopped out of the 18-wheeler and stopped short when they were confronted by Adrianna. "Hey, what's wrong Adrianna?"

"What were you talking about?"

"Uuuuh…nothing much…just making sure everything was in working order." Sam laughed hesitantly.

"Uh huh…suuuuuuuuure." Turning around quickly, Adrianna ran over to Carlie.

"Caaaaaarliiiiiiiiiiiiie, Sam and Mikaela were doing no-no's!"

"What!?" Sam faltered and Mikaela busted out laughing.

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And that's the end of that. :O Yeah, I know. Nothing exciting. smoke is still billowing

Any nice/constructive comments are loved and appreciated. Hopefully, it didn't stink so bad that your mind turned to mush. O I won't be held accountable for that. cough . ' runs away with a plane ticket and suitcase


	2. Chapter 2

Whooooo, Chapter 2! I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who left a review. This is the first time I have received so much feedback on a story. My only hope is that I have not crashed and burned this chapter. I'd say it's pretty slow moving. I had originally written out a fast pace scene when I first concocted this fanfic, but I pushed it to chapter 3 for the sake of not throwing everything in the reader's face so fast.

If anyone is disappointed with how this story will turn out. I apologize in advance. If you have any information concerning the little stuff, like…how things work with Autobots [Theories and Actual excerpts from shows/comics/etc or if personalities seem waaaaaaaay too Out of Character. Please feel free to email me! I would love your input and help! I haven't seen transformers since the late 80s - early 90s…so I'm a little out of date. (Best if sold by: 06/23/1989 cough)

Taking Care of You

The sound of the door bell ringing, the opening of said door, and then the sweet, sweet sound of a young child shuffling their feet reaches my ear. The one thing that I live for.

"Good Morning, Ms. Carlie!" I look down to see the bright face of one of my usual weekend troopers.

"Good Morning, Captain!" I give the young boy a sloppy salute and a quick wink.

His face crinkled with laughter at my sad attempt and swung open the door. Stepping forward, I swept him up in my left arm and made towards his father, his son thrashing about in playful protest.

"Morning, Mr. Enderson." The man was sifting about in the back of the car, digging through a mess of papers and toys. At the sound of my voice, his head pops out of the car.

"Morning, Ms. Kolinchski. It seems I'm running a little late for work today; however, I don't have to work for very long. I should be back around 1 o'clock to pick up Jeremy." I could see the twinkle in his eyes at that bit of news.

Immediately, Jeremy started to cheer under my arm. "Yeah! Can we go to the park?"

A knowing smile lit my face at his reaction.

His father had a look of satisfaction. "Of course we can, kiddo! Just don't wear yourself out while I'm gone. And behave. I'll see you all around one."

"Bye dad!"

"See ya later, Mr. Enderson." And with one last wave he was off.

"So, what do you wanna—." A loud clash made me jump. Then, a resounding squeak of a straining door could be heard. "Jeremyyyyyyy!"

And all at once I had a flailing 10 year old in my arm, begging to be let go. "Oh no, not the twerp!"

Coming to a screeching halt, a very nasty scowl painted Adrianna's face. "Hey! Don't call me that!"

"Alright, that's enough you two! I'll have none of that today." Reaching over, I grabbed a hold of Adrianna with my free arm and proceeded to waddle with the extra weight. Screams of protest and laughter flittered through the air as I headed towards the barn.

Enthusiastically, I asked, "So, who wants to help me feed the chickens today!?"

"Boooo!"

"No way!"

"Not the chickens!"

Plopping them both on the ground, I couldn't help but fake mild disbelief. "What!? What do you mean by that!?" Taking my fists, I clutched the fronts of their shirts, lifted them up again and impersonated the godfather's voice. "Wha- happened to you!? Wha' happened!?"

Adrianna pouted, "We always feed the chickens."

Scrunching my eyebrows in thought, a brilliant idea came to mind. "Ok!" They both looked a little uncertain as my face turned a little too innocent for their liking.

"Theeeeeeeen,… you can clean the chicken poop! Congratulations, you're hired!" Looks of horror shot my way as I hustled them into the dirty coop.

"Nooo! Not that! Anything but that!" Busting out laughing, I continue to push them to their chore.

"Nope, too late! The chickens, they call!"

I stood guard over the coop as the children set to work. "Hey, no pouting, after this we're gonna head out on the gator for a little bit. I've been working on the new track for this summer."

Hoots and hoorays came from the small building, followed by the sudden scatter of chickens as the kid's worked with vigorous effort.

In a matter of minutes, I heard the clanking of things being put away and the two little devils flew out of the coop, eyes filled with excitement. Jumping in front of me, they shouted a quick, "Done!"

Smirking at them I turned towards one of the barn sheds. "Come on you two. Let's have some fun!"

Unlatching the door, I grabbed the handle and slid the huge, hefty door open. Revealing a small tractor cart that was currently being overpowered by a giant 18wheeler, a black GMC truck and a yellow emergency rescue Hummer.

My eyebrows knit for a second...and I whispered, "Huh…that's strange. I thought I heard something moving." Thinking it was probably just another rodent, I shrugged it off.

I suddenly noticed Jeremy's jaw about ready to hit the floor at the sight before him. "Careful Jeremy, you might just catch a fly." He immediately shut his jaw and made a mad dash for the new additions to my barn.

"Oh wow! Look at this! And ooooooh, look at that! This is soooo cool!"

Before I could get a word in edge wise, Jeremy ran around the truck and I heard the sound of a door opening. Alarmed, I ran after him. "Jeremy, get out of there! That truck doesn't belong to me!

When he went so far as to ignore me, I got a little irritated. So I added a little bite to my bark. "Young man! You have to the count of 5 to get out of that car and back over here! 1!...2!..." The quick shuffling of feet could be heard. "3!" A squeak came from the other side as the door shut. "4!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He made a dash to the gator, his face a little pale. Mumbling a quick apology, he started to scuff his shoes into the dirt.

"That's much better. What have I told you about going through dangerous equipment without proper supervision?" I couldn't help but be a little harsh. After all, his safety could have been at risk.

Still looking down he mumbled a quiet. "Don't."

Sighing, I walked up to him and patted him on the head. "It's ok. We all get a little excited and forget things…Just please try to be more careful and more respectful of my barn and its contents."

"Yes Ma'am."

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I gave out a growl as I roughly turned the key in the ignition, trying to get the gator to start. Not even whirring attempts could be heard from the engine.

"What the-? Oh no, don't die on me now. You're not even that old!"

I shoved my hands against the steering wheel in aggravation. Stepping out of the car, I popped open the hood and began to poke around inside. Glaring at it in anger, I silently hoped the tractor would just magically fix itself.

A pair of eyes popped up from the side of the gator. It was Adrianna. "Carlie, do you even know what you're doing?"

"Ah, ya caught me!" A light blush crept up my ears and cheeks. "Eh heh, I have no bleeding idea what could be wrong, but I figured I might as well look like I do." I didn't miss the muffled giggles from the children. With a quick grimace, I straightened up and closed the hood.

"Well kiddos. I don't know what to tell ya…Looks like we're gonna haveta find something else to do."

"Awww…, that's not fair!" Jeremy stomped his foot on the ground and slumped down onto to driver's side of the gator, arms folded across his chest.

"I would have suggested my jeep, but it got stuck in the mud a few days back after that little rain we got hit with. Clogged up the exhaust and flooded the engine pretty bad. So, it's still in the shop." A guilty look flittered across my face at my own words.

"Hey! What about that truck!?" Adrianna ran over and pointed at the hood. The black GMC towered over her, it seemed to give off a powerful feeling. Almost intimidating, but she ignored it.

"Adri—I can't just do that darlin'. The car doesn't belong to me."

"Oh yeah! Carlie, please please please! Just for a little bit." Jeremy ran over to me and started to jump and tug on my shirt. Adrianna immediately followed.

"Wha-!? No! I can't jus-." Andrianna grabbed my side and started to shake me.

"Pleeeeeaaaaaase, please please please. You can be really careful, and we'll promise to be good!" A small pout started to form on her face.

I flinched at the sight. "Oh no, don't you pull that one on me, I'm not about to..." Adrianna lowered her lashes and her lower lip started to tremble. Giving out a heavy sigh, I caved. "Aaaaaaaaah….ok ok, but only for a little bit. And we have to be very careful! That truck is a fine piece of equipment. I'm sure the owner would have my a—er would be really upset if something happened to his truck."

Jeremy proceeded to pump his fist in the air as Adrianna shouted a quick 'hooray!' and skipped around the truck.

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"This is so much nicer than your stinky old jeep."

Feigning hurt, I grunt out, "Well! Thank you for pointing that out. Nothing like being talked down to by an 8 year old."

The two kids laughed and started to bounce in their seats, their hands smacking each other on their helmets as a sign of luck.

"A little excited?" I twisted an evil smirk on my face.

"C'mon Carlie! Let's go!" I picked up the key, moving agonizingly slow. "Oh nooooo…I just…feel…soooooo…tiiiiiiiired."

"Carlie!" They both shouted, glares on their faces.

"You kids are just so fun to mess with. Sorry." I gave a quick laugh and started the engine. I was momentarily startled at the great roar the car gave as it came to life.

[AN: I know what you're all thinking! O "if only you knew, Carlie! If only you kneeeeeew!" or maybe you're not! . Tricky tricky!

"Nice!" I shout. The kids gave an excited squeal.

Turning to them, I smirked. "Let's do this!"

I immediately shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas. The kids gave a frightening scream. Then, screamed some more when I hit the breaks and gave the wheel a tight turn, sliding the car around. We came to a screeching halt and Adrianna shouted, "You call that taking it easy!?"

Plastering on a guilty look, I gave a quick apology. "Sorry, couldn't help it. This truck is so awesome!"

Gripping the steering wheel nice and tight, I skirted down the makeshift dirt road made from years of being trampled by various things. The dust lightly kicked up as we headed towards one of the back fields lined with mounds of sturdy dirt with twists and turns.

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"Do you think he's all right?"

A small grunt came from Optimus as he thought that one over. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Sam said she wouldn't be any trouble. Though that boy seems to be quite a handful."

Though he'd never admit it, Optimus took quite a little beating from the child as he thrashed around like a violent fish out of water inside the cabin. The door's side compartment had a brand new line of scuff marks from the little boy's sneakers. And it took him a while to right himself after the boy pushed every button he could get his hands on.

"Hmm…I just hope Ironhide doesn't lose his temper. He can be a bit too 'gung-ho' as he calls it. The last thing we need is another big incident. Especially, after BumbleBee blew up that garbage truck."

Both Autobots savored a little laugh at that memory. Apparently, BumbleBee had mistaken a garbage truck as a hostile target when the driver almost crushed Mojo while picking up one of the trash bins. No one was hurt, but it was flashed on the news as some sort of facist group bombing. Needless to say, the government had 'fun' dealing with that little incident.

Suddenly, high pitched screams could be heard outside of the barn.

Optimus tensed, then transformed while still inside the barn. Hunched over to keep the barn from crashing down he yelled out, "Ratchet!"

"Scanning!" For a second, Rachet seemed to be perturbed. "That's strange. I think they're fine. I picked up on excitement from all three, but only small readings of fear in the children. Their adrenaline levels are high as well."

Carefully, peering out the door, Optimus scanned the area. He could see the children laughing and screaming as Ironhide tore through hills and dust, kicking up everything in his path. He could see the human female madly steering his friend across the field, smile on her face, but determination in her eyes.

"They're fine."

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Well, that's it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I had fun doing the chicken coop part. I love chickens, they're great. xD

Anywho, special thanks to Beesting08. I won't say why though. I'll just let everyone's curiosity stir. Haha. .

Oh ja, and I know a lot of you are expecting this story to be really funny, but I don't know if it will turn out so...Mainly because me and the funny aren't so great. .> But I'll try.


	3. Chapter 3

Finally, chapter 3! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed! You're all lovely!

I deem this chapter to be a lil'…I dunno...exciting? I hope? xD This chapter is also about 1,000 words longer than chapter 2. So it should be a decently long read. I'm really expecting a good turn out!

For those who are sticking with me, I really hope this chapter makes it worth while. Bon Appetite! . Lol…I don't know why I said that…

Taking Care of You

"Bye Jeremy!" Adrianna waved frantically at the older boy as he hung his head out of his father's car window.

"Bye twerp! See ya next time!" he laughed out, but cringed when his father started to reprimand him.

"What am I going to do with that boy?" Shaking my head, arms folded across my chest, I turned to the little girl pouting next to me.

"Well," I blew at a piece of hair that fell over my face. "I'd say that was quite an interesting afternoon, wouldn't you?"

Her face filled with excitement at the mention of our earlier excursion across one of the back fields. "That was the bestest ever! We were like 'pheeeeeeeeeeewww and—." Arms flailed and funny hand gestures followed as she continued to make 'whooshing' noises, trying to explain each twist and turn we had made in the truck.

Giving out a boisterous laugh, I rested my hands on her shoulders and started to steer her towards said black truck. "Well, as wonderful as that little display was…we have a little problem on our hands."

"What? Problem!? What problem!? I don't see a problem!?" looking around, she finally took notice of the car. It was covered in dust, a few leaves and tufts of grass were caught in every crevice you could find. Even the truck bed had small piles of dirt that had wandered in from the sharp turns Carlie had made.

Moving her closed fist up to her mouth, she did a quick 'cough' and tried to make a run for the hills.

"Oh, no you don't!" I grabbed her by the shirt and tried to drag her butt back to the car. She was giving quite a fight, using her weight to try and gain some leverage. Her shirt started to stretch.

"Adrianna Nicole Smith!" Using my weight to my advantage, I leaned my body back, digging my heels into the ground. The little girl tried desperately to walk away from my pulling, making it out to be a game of Tug-o-war. I started to be dragged as the dirt began to give out. A loud yelp escaped my lips as I slipped and fell back, Adrianna jerked from the force and crashed onto my stomach.

"Oof!"

"Oops." Adrianna started to giggle. Then it turned into outright guffawing.

"Ha…ha, that's right. Laugh it up young lady." A stern look crossed my face as the sarcasm dripped off my tongue. This only made the little devil laugh even harder.

Feeling a little playful, I lightly pushed her off me and took an exaggerated gasp of air.

"Geeze, Adri…lay off the candy."

"Hey!" I laughed. Then, I proceeded to stand. "C'mon, kiddo, head to the tool shed and grab the sponges for me. I'll go get the bucket."

She let out a whiney moan. "Aww…do I have to?"

Giving her a scornful look, I put a little attitude in my tone. "Yes, you do. Now stop whining and go do what I asked, young lady."

"Yes Ma'am." With a sigh, Adrianna trudged off to the tool shed, feet dragging.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes; then, started making my way over to the hose, a brown, plastic bucket with a handle right next to the nozzle. Loud squeaking came from the drip as I turned on the water. Cringing, I picked up the hose and started to fill the bucket.

"Found them!" Turning my head, I could see Adrianna make her way over and plop the sponges in the bucket. Pulling out a small soap bottle from her pocket, she squeezed huge globs of it into the container.

"Whoa there! We don't need that much, silly." Taking the bottle from her hands, I let out a little laugh. "Why don't you go inside and change into your bathing suit?"

Her face lit up at the notion. "Really!?"

"Of course!" Nudging her, she stumbled a bit and ran towards the house. I took that moment to partially cover the end of the hose and aimed it at her. Water sprayed out everywhere, immediately soaking the back of Adrianna's shirt. She gave a loud squeal and ran faster, trying to get away as fast as she could.

With a devious grin and a quick 'Mwahahaaa', I picked up the bucket in one hand and the hose in the other and made my way over to the truck. Setting everything down, I went back into the house to get changed.

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"Ta Daaaaa!" Hopping off the steps in her pink bathing suit, Adrianna started to twist and bounce, as she fashioned a painstakingly bright, yellow ducky float around her waist. The duck's face was bouncing with her, making the scene just too cute for words.

I on the other hand had decided to wear a pair of cuffed jean shorts, white camisole, and a thin, white button up blouse, hanging loose, catching any slight breeze that may pass.

[AN: Yeah, I'm sure everyone was expecting to roll their eyes as she popped out with some skimpy black bikini. Mwahahaaaa, my lady ain't no Kripsy KremeTM, she's down to earth. Mmmm donuts… Snack time!

I gave her a little smirk and started to walk towards the truck. My favourite straw hat in hand, I positioned it on my head. In the other hand was a small purple boom box that I place a little ways away. Hitting the play button, a little bit of static was heard then the blaring of children's songs filled the air. Dusting my hands off, I bent down to pick up the hose again.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!" Adrianna waddled over to the bucket and picked up one of the soaked sponges.

A loud 'Squik' could be heard then the resounding 'splat' as the sponge hit the floor.

I started to splutter and cough, shocked to speechlessness at what she had just done. She hit me in the face with it. Adrianna was pointing and laughing at the sight.

I couldn't believe she just walloped me with a sponge. "Why you little..!" Picking up and twisting on the spray nozzle, I pointed it at Adrianna, the spurt hitting her in the shoulder. High pitched squealing rang out as I started chasing her around the car. "Oh, you're runnin' now, ya imp!"

After a few more runs around the truck, I finally stopped. "Alright, Alright. Let's get back to work." At those words, Adrianna peeked out from the corner at the back of the truck. Her eyes held a look of relief. I had to smile as her floatie's head popped out from the side as well. Clutching the sides, she trotted back to the sponge she had previously thrown.

"Ok, I'ma spray him down first. Then, you can start at the front." Taking the hose, I started at the hood, taking off the caked dirt and grass chunks. Slowly, I made my way to the sides; then, proceeded to the back to take care of all the dirt in the bed.

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At this, Adrianna rewet the sponge and squatted down in front of the truck. Slowly, she wiped away the mess and left streaks of suds. She began to hum along to the stereo and bob her head left to right. In the back ground, she could hear Carlie put the hose down and pick up a sponge from the bucket and work on the truck bed.

As Adrianna worked her way around to the left headlights, she started to scrub a little harder at some dirt that seemed to be lodged in some crevices. The sound of something sharp scratching against metal filled her ears. In an instant she stopped, completely horrified at the sudden realization. Blowing away the suds that had collected on her sponge; she found a rock lodged in it.

"Oh no…" she voiced quietly, as her eyes began to glitter with the start of fresh tears. Her skin tingled and just for a second, she felt a strange sensation coming off the car, just as she had earlier that day. The feeling was intimidating…but this time there was a touch of frustration.

She sniffed lightly with a trembling lip, afraid to tell Carlie what she had just done. Looking again at the damage, she was going to start a whole new slew of sniffling, but it shifted into a gasp.

Slowly, but surely, the scratches began to disappear. Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she was seeing. "No way…" she whispered softly too shocked to move. For a second she felt scared. Scared at how something so impossible was happening. She didn't feel safe. She was truly frightened…and wanted the feeling to go away.

With these thoughts, she shot up to a standing position with the intent to run to Carlie when a loud "pop" and a "pzzzzzzzzzt" sound hit her ears. She looked down…..and began to cry. It then turned into a crescendo that started to rival a scream.

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My head shot up at the sudden cry I heard. Fear hit me like a bolt of lightning as I realized it was Adrianna. "Adri!" I shouted. Throwing the hose down, I jumped off the side of the car and ran to the front. Seeing her standing there crying, I immediately picked her up and she curled into me. Quickly, I carried her over to the back of the truck, pulling down the hatch and seating her on it.

Running my hands over her face, through her hair, then down her arms and legs, I checked for any bruises, cuts, anything that was out of place. And then I noticed…

Her yellow, ducky floatie had deflated. I sighed in relief, but also felt a wave of guilt hit me. "Oh sweetie…I'm so sorry." Softly grasping her head, I kissed her forehead and hugged her close. The child continued to wail at her loss.

"M-m-mommy gave this to me," she stuttered out, the pain in her voice evident. Squeezing her slightly, I started to rock her from side to side. "I know darlin', I know…I'm so sorry." Looking skyward, a small tear dropped from my eye. "It's ok, let it out. It's all right."

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It had been a good 15 minutes before the child finally calmed down. I do not understand why this little girl was crying, but it was the most intriguing of sounds I had ever heard. I cannot identify what this sound means. I have heard humans screams in fright, but this…this was an entirely different form.

I know it has something to do with the strange object around the human's waist, but it is a piece of stretched plastic. How is something, that I am sure is easy to replace cause a reaction on such a large scale?

Perhaps I should not have teased the girl. Breaking her belongings has resulted in an undesirable end…

[AN: Ironhide! You dolt! 'shakes fist'

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Wiping one last escaped tear from her eyes, Adrianna smiled up at me. I smiled back reassuringly.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Yeah, we can fix it, darlin'. No worries, 'kay? Nothing a few crafting supplies can't fix." Winking, I picked her up and placed her back on the ground. She clutched my hand, a grateful look spreading across her face.

We walked over to the front of the car, and I lightly patted her head.

"Why don't we ju—"

"Carlie!"

The sound of my name chilled my bones…shock and then a wave of fear overloaded my senses. Grabbing Adrianna and shoving her behind me, I looked over to the unexpected guest.

My voice wavered as I addressed them. "E-Eric. What are you doing here?"

Plastering on a fake smile, I pushed Adrianna back a little. Turning my head slightly, but keeping my eyes focused on the man about 15 yards away, I spoke slowly and softly to Adrianna.

"Hey Teacup…why don't you head inside and wash up?" The child shuffled slightly, the meaning in the nickname hitting her full force. It was the special code. She knew what she needed to do…lock the doors and windows and call for help. With uncertain steps, she started to walk towards the house.

Eric shifted his view to Adrianna, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I took a few quick steps to the right and slightly towards him, catching the man's attention.

With a slight cough I continued, "As I was saying, why are you here?"

His eyes were hollow and a crazed look shined in them.

"Carlie, didn't you miss me? I've missed you so very much."

"Eric!" I shouted, anger setting in. "You know you're not supposed to be here. You're violating the restraining order."

"Oh come on, love. I know you don't mean it. After all, you need me. Who's gonna take care of you?" His face slowly changed. Eyebrows shifted inwards, and his mouth went from a smirk to a sneer.

"Don't give me that bullshit! Get out of here, Eric. I'm warning yo-!"

He made a snarling noise and his face screwed up into a hideous look of anger. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me!"

Just as the anger had come, the madness returned full force. His face shifted to wide eyes and a small smile. "Come here, love. I have a present for you. You know I love you so much. I have to show you just how much I've missed you." A maniacal cackle escaped his lips, and slowly, he pulled a large wooden stick from behind his back. His hand tightened on the blunt object as he started to walk towards me.

I gasped and immediately started to back away. Fear clearly across my face. "You're sick! Get the hell away from me!"

Picking up the pace, I was ready to go into a full run when the loud 'crack' hit as I took a blow to my ribs on the right hand side. Only a small portion of the stick reached me, but it still hurt like hell.

Clutching my side, I struggled to get away as an arm snatched me and turned me around, the pressure cutting off the circulation in my arm. "Let me go!"

He started to shake me violently. "Shut up!" and then punched me across the face, making me fall to the ground by the sheer force of the blow. I shouted in pain and looked up at my assailant.

The ugly sneer had returned. "When I'm threw with you, that little brat is next." My face contorted in shock. Fear. Then, Anger. "Don't you lay a hand on her!"

Just as he tried to launch himself on top of me, I used my feet to kick him in the gut. His body went flying back, but not far. He was so heavy. The stick flew out of his hand.

The smallest of pitter patters reached my ears. It was starting to rain.

I picked myself up into a sitting position and turned around to try and get up. Halfway to a stand, a hand shot out and grabbed my ankle. Yanking me down, my face smashed into the dirt as I shouted in surprise. I could feel him trying to drag himself to me.

I was so scared.

Quickly, I used my free leg to kick him, desperately trying to get him in the face…to let me go.

Frantic, I started to scream, but knew no one could save me, could save Adrianna. I knew it would take a while for the feds to come, but if they couldn't save me, I wanted them to at least get here in time to save her.

With renewed determination, I began to shout at him. "I said let me go, you bastard!" I kicked extra hard for effect.

He winced in pain, but his eyes became dilated and his face more sinister. "And I said for you to shut the hell up!"

It happened so fast, that I didn't react in time. He grabbed higher at my leg and used his knees to slide himself up farther. With his upper body raised, he then slammed his elbow into my stomach. I was utterly winded.

For a second, my eyes tried to roll in the back of my head as my body arched and a heavy intake of breath came from me.

I could barely register his laughter or the change in weight. For that moment, it all seemed so surreal, except for the rain and my heavy breathing as I rolled from side to side, trying to get the pain to subside.

"Now you get what you deserve!" I looked up in shock at the words and realized at the last moment that he had both his hands raised, the thick, wooden stick in hand…and it was already starting to slam down on top of me.

A blood curdling scream was wracked from my lips as my eyes shut tight. I could hear the rain. It was pounding now. Pounding so furiously as I tried to think, tried to reason with God, tried something! All I could see in my mind was Adrianna, Adrianna. Adrianna!

I could hear the roaring as the rain got worse. Just the sound of chaos, as it got louder and louder. And a part of my mind was shouting, 'just finish it already!'

And then it was gone.

It was all gone. The roaring had stopped. Rain. The rain was still there, but it wasn't as loud. It was steady and soothing…and the light rumble—rumble?

Immediately, my eyes shot open. I looked around frantically. Eric. Eric! Where's Eric!? I got up and finally took the time to really look.

My face held shock and my heart skipped a beat. Eric lay many yards away…his body crumpled on the ground.

He wasn't getting up.

A half sigh of relief and half whimper escaped my lips. Slowly I turned my head to the left. Tears fell from my eyes and mixed with the rain and the mud. "H-How?"

My body was hit with shock, nearly making me faint from all of the emotional turmoil.

I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe, but oh, how I did. There it stood. A black fury…in all its glory.

The GMC Topkick.

Driverless.

The engine revved and my heart stopped. I let out a weakened laugh and continued to cry.

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Holy…shatmaster. X.x This is long! I sincerely hope everybody enjoyed this chapter. 'Cause the words were just pouring out of me like crazy.

Whoo, I am so hyper now. xD and it's 2:45am. x3 I had to work late yesterday. And just as I got the first 2 sentences down, it started to rain really hard. Then I was like….Hm.. well as long as there's no lightning I'll be ok. :D 'clash of lightning' Dx noooooooooo!  
Just my luck. xD

Anywho, please feel free to leave a review or email me if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. Or if you just want to say hey, that's cool too. 3


	4. Chapter 4

I think that most of you won't like this chapter as much as the others. :x I really struggled with this one.

Anywho, I wish to express my thanks to everyone who has reviewed, fav'ed, and alerted this story. All of you have helped me make this story happen. Your words have fueled my imagination into overdrive. :3 I plan to make this story a few more chapters.

I already have plans for another story, though it might take a little bit to sort out. I'm planning to have more action and adventure in my next story. Hopefully, it will be as well received as this one.

On with the next chapter:D

Taking Care of You

I heard the screen door creak as someone opened it. The soft patter of footsteps greeted my ears over the rain, and my head shot to the porch.

Earlier, I almost collapsed onto the ground, but the GMC's passenger door shot open and caught my arms. I was able to ease myself down. In normal circumstances, I probably would have freaked out, but I'm so emotionally drained that I just…don't…care.

The calm after the storm is not always pleasant as my adrenaline started to wear off and my body began to ache. Reminding me once again of what had occurred just minutes before.

A slight tugging on my shirt sleeve pulled me out of my reverie, and the rain was no longer hitting me directly. Small sniffles could be heard and then I was enveloped in a warm embrace. I immediately relaxed in her arms.

"Adrianna…" She let out a sob and hugged me hard. Wrapping my arms in return I squeezed her tight and picked her up.

Knowing she was safe, left me so relaxed and at ease. The pain didn't matter. This preciously little girl did. Standing up, I lifted her with me in my arms and walked around the passenger door. Carefully, I placed her inside and numbly climbed in with her, dropping the umbrella in the truck bed carelessly.

The door closed as soon as we were both settled and the resounding 'click' of locked doors reached our ears. Frightened, Adrianna started to whimper and I held her close. "Shh shhhh…It's ok, sweetie. He's not going to hurt us."

Whether it was the silent body laying just yards away or the truck that I was referring to, I don't know. Perhaps a bit of both, but something inside said that we would be safe here. Deep down, I knew this 'ghost car' had saved my life. No, our lives. Suddenly, I felt the car's heating system go off. Like a thirsty man in the desert presented a glass of water, both of us huddled our hands towards the heat, shuddering in satisfaction at the relief of comfort.

We jumped as the car started and gave off the lightest of rumbling, the vibrations as soft as purring. I relaxed. It was trying to comfort us.

The radio lights flashed for a second. And we both focused on it. Not knowing what to expect. This car…was so unpredictable now. Just how does one go about handling a 'haunted vehicle"?

Then it blinked on, a soft blue glow emanating from it. I saw the dial turn, the soft sounds of different stations flittering by as it went back and forth.

And then it stopped. The sound of music filled the car as the Righteous Brother's "Unchained Melodies" played over the radio.

At first my mind went blank, but then the implications of the song and what I came to associate it with had me bursting with laughter. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation making me laugh harder than was necessary, but it eased my mind and all of the stress slowly started to fly away. A small bit of my heavy burden lifted off my shoulders.

Adrianna was looking at me like I had grown six heads. Her eyebrow was lifted in question, but I just continued to laugh. I could not expect her to understand why it was so funny. The irony of the song and how it connected with the movie, "Ghost." After all, it was before her time.

Shaking my head, I gave her another hug and my laughter slowly died down.

Static suddenly came over the radio and the lights flickered as a voice came from the speakers. "I fail to see how this song is even remotely funny."

We jumped at the words and my eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-you—!"

The sound of sirens came from the road leading to the house and my attention shifted. The car opened the driver's side and proceeded to shut off the engine.

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Ironhide sat in silence, contemplating the situation as the two humans removed themselves from his person. The melody he had chosen from the radio's selection was supposed to sooth and calm down the humans, but the end results were fascinating. What had caused the older female to laugh so uncontrollably? He was profusely puzzled and wished to question her, but with other humans around, he refrained from any such action.

The silence inside the car was deafening. A small curse escaped him…What is he going to tell Optimus?

It continued to rain, the silence still deafening as Ironhide sorted through his thoughts, trying to figure out what he was going to tell his leader.

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"I'm going to need to make a full report on this. Can you tell me everything that happened?"

Realizing that I needed to give the young officer my side of the story, my mouth opened then, shut. What was I going to tell him? 'Oh, my car just came to life and ran over my attacker. But everything is just fine and dandy now.' The last thing I need is to be shoved in some medical facility. God only knows what would happen to Adrianna.

Stumbling over my words, I gave him a shaky reply, "I-I—the truck and—," A few hand gestures were thrown in, but failed to help me. "I just—oh god." I gave an exasperated sigh.

"Ms., we're gonna need you to calm down." The young officer placed his hand on my shoulder in comfort. I flinched. "Why don't we head inside? We'll get you something warm to drink and you can change into dry clothes. We'll take this nice and slow, Ms. Kolinchski."

Taking a deep breath, I whispered out an "Ok…" and followed him into the house with Adrianna still clutching my side.

As soon as the police showed up, everything seemed so chaotic. Investigators, Coroners, Officers. They were everywhere. The local sheriff ran up to me and held me tightly, worry clearly written on her face. "Carlie, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

I cracked a small smile. "A little banged up, but I'll live."

The Sheriff is close friends with my parents. They've known each other all their lives. This place really is a small town.

---------------------------------------------

It had been 2 grueling hours before the officer finished questioning me. They said they'd call me if they needed anything else. With one last hug, the sheriff took off, taking the troupe of investigators with her.

The rain had yet to cease, lightning could be seen far off in the distance. As the rain pattered against the window, a shaky breathe fell from my lips. "What now?"

One arm hugged my waist as I pushed my thumb to my lip in concentration. Adrianna was upstairs taking a nap. She was so stressed that her poor body just gave out.

The sound of an engine starting pulled me from my thoughts. Outside, the truck's headlights flashed and it started to move towards the barn. Moving my hand away from my lip, I balled it into a fist. Mind made up, I grabbed my coat and an umbrella.

With all the strength I could muster, I yanked open the door and stepped outside.

It was pouring down in huge drops, each one splashing into the slowly growing puddles. The roaring of the rain was deafening once again. Everything was blurry and the air was frigid.

A warm glow emanated from the barn, the sound of a running engine, deep voices, and another sound I could not quite identify reaching my ears. My heart skipped at the sounds, and my foot steps faltered.

Should I go in? What's gonna happen? Is it safe? Minding racing a mile a minute, my eyebrow twitched in thought.

Curiosity, fear, and a deep sense of frustration drew me towards the voice. Taking a deep breath, I took my final steps to the barn, opened the door and looked head on; ready to face whatever would be brought before me.

My heart clenched and my fist tightened on the door. I could feel my breath catch and my eyes squint then widen in disbelief. So shocked at the sight before me, I took a quick step back and fell hard on my rear with a loud grunt.

Everyone…or every car I should say fell silent.

It was deafening. I was starting to think that this was a bad idea when a voice from the rescue hummer spoke.

"Are you all right, Ms. Carlie?"

I blinked once…twice. Completely thrown off at the casual question, I stuttered out a small "Yes."

Taking a quick swallow, I mustered up all of the strength left within me to stand up and walk slowly over to the vehicles.

"I-…wow." I was a little lost for words as anyone can imagine.

"You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little lacking in sense at the moment." I let out a small, unsure chuckle at this. "It's not everyday you get saved from a psycho by a driverless truck. I'm surprised I haven't gone into a fit of screams."

A snort came from the truck. "I agree."

A frustrated sigh came from the 18-wheeler

I raised my eyebrow at the attitude. Not one to sit around and take it, I put a little attitude in my tone. "Well…aren't you quite the charmer—Mr. Moody."

"Ironhide."

"What?"

"My name is Ironhide."

"Oh…"

Releasing a sigh of frustration, I folded my arms across my chest and drew my eyebrows in, a slight frown on my face.

"Well then, perhaps someone could explain what in the hell is going on here? I'm assuming Sam knows you're all…alive."

That's when the deepest of commanding voices hit my ears.

"My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader of the Autobots."

Another blank moment hit me. I felt another laugh building up at the thought how that sounded. It just seemed like some crazy sci fi show.

I nodded my head in recognition for the sake of politeness. "I see. It's a pleasure to properly meet your—." All of a sudden the 18-wheeler's body began to shift. "Holy Shi-!" And in its place stood a massive robot towering over me, its body slightly hunched from the lower lying ceiling.

Once again I managed to fall back on my rear. A look of complete shock plastered my face. Mouth hanging open I just continued to stare up at this huge thing.

"Y-your acquaintance?" Another snort came from Ironhide and I immediately shot him a glare.

This 'Optimus Prime' continued on as if nothing had happened. "This here is Ratchet, our medic." Pointing to the Rescue Hummer, it too began to transform. My body felt another wave of shock at the sight. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to have a heart attack before the night ends.

"Nice to meet you. My sensors indicate that you are in excellent health."

A wry smile crossed my lips. "Well, that's good to know."

Optimus then pointed to Ironhide. "And as you already know, this is our weapons specialist, Ironhide." This time I was ready for it. I braced myself for his transformation.

But when nothing came, I was slightly disappointed.

"I guess I don't get to see the true face of my 'hero'?" The end of my lip curved up ever so slightly.

"What the hell is this!?"

Blinking for a second, I gave him a glare at his sudden rudeness. But that soon changed from anger to shock. I rose up my arm and pointed at the black truck and broke out into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Once again, I was thrown into a situation that just seemed so ridiculous.

My little pet pig, Moo was found snorting on top of the truck's hood. A very nasty trail of snot and drool caked on the paint job. A crusty white appeared in some spots where it had already dried. It 'suwee'd' in delight as it noticed my presence.

"That's so gross! Moo, get off of him!" I motioned for the pig to come to me. As soon as he jumped off of him, Ironhide began to shift. Losing my focus on the pig, I stared up at his massive form as two huge cannons popped out of his arms and began to charge at Moo. Fear washed over me.

"No! Don't hurt my baby!" Running over as fast as I could, I snatched Moo up in my arms and hunched over in a protective gesture.

"Out of the way! I'm going to exterminate that rodent!"

Optimus stepped in with a roughness to his voice, "Ironhide! Stand down!"

"How dare you! Don't you lay a finger on him!" Fitting the fiercest snarl I could muster, I ran up to his foot and kicked it. A resounding 'pwuang' filled the air and my foot was wracked with pain. "Ow!"

My frustration built up even more and I started to curse that 'bot. "You stupid, good for nothing, piece of junk metal!"

I started to hop around on one foot; one arm hanging onto Moo and the other one gripping my foot.

Suddenly, Ratchet was at my side. A red beam of light slid over my foot. "You'll be fine, just some small bruising."

A giggle from behind me caught my attention. I could sense everybody turning their gaze to the barn entrance.

"A-Adrianna!" I immediately dropped Moo and it gave an indignant squeal. With a sad attempt, I tried to stretch my arms out like I could hide everything behind me.

Busted.

"Adrianna, what are you doing out of bed!?" The little girl ran up to me and hugged my waist.

"You were gone, so I came to find you. I was scared that something bad had happened."

She nuzzled into my stomach and I brushed her hair with my hand.

"It's ok. I'm here. And so are our friends." At that notion, she raised her head to me and looked questioningly to the side. Her head peaked out from behind me as she took note of our 'guests'.

"Hi…," She said shyly.

Optimus took a step closer and kneeled down behind me. His face came close to Adri's.

"Hello. I am Optimus Prime."

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lol. Lamers. x.x Sorry this wasn't the best. I'm dealing with quite a brain fart. X.x

Oh ja, totally forgot to add this earlier. Think I should do some fanart? o.O I'm not super awesome and amazing, but I figured it might be a fun little addition to the story. :o


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks again for the reviews everybody! A lot of them made me giggle. xD Your reactions are so cool.

Anywho, just to answer some questions from reviewers:

**Cascadia-Science**: Sorry it took so long to reply to your question. The kids were just scared of the car ride. I guess Carlie was a bit of a crazy driver. xD

**Whitedino**: Thank you for your enthusiastic review. I had my doubts on chapter 4 due to the fact that I did not feel as sure about what I was typing. I usually have a set of ideas already written out and organized, but I was stumped as to how I would introduce my character to a group of alien robots. Lol. Especially since I have no real huge plot going on. I think I had so much trouble because I had developed a strong headache. I could barely think because of it. O.o I was actually stumped at there part when Carlie enters the barn. I think it took me 3 hours to finally get the first few paragraphs down.

**Beesting08**: Once again, thanks for your awesome and inquisitive reviews! To answer your questions, I will not be taking them on a large scale adventure. When I first thought out this story, the original plot was to just get her introduced to the Autobots, form a friendship, and leave it at that. I do not intend to make this story the size of a novel since I've already struggled in furthering the plot line. I would like to keep it some what short and sweet. However…I will tell you that Carlie and Adrianna will not end with "Taking Care of You." I have huge plans for another story, and I wish to give a second life to these characters, even if their roles are small.

Disclaimer: I don not own Transformers, the cartoon, the movie, or anything for that matter. I'm just playing with the characters for fun. x.x

Taking Care of You

Curling into the plush comforter on my four poster bed, I gave a small sigh and nuzzled my head further into the pillow. Outside the roosters were crowing as the sun began to rise.

My eyes crinkled as I tried to get the sun out of my eyes. "Nooooo…I don't wanna get up. Go away." Shoving my head into the pillow, my next few complaints were lost through the fabric. I lay there in silence, enjoying the morning feel.

And then I shot up as memories from the other day surfaced. Scrambling out of bed, I stumbled over to the window, tripping on the sheets in the process. I smashed onto the floor and shuffled to the window, hands on the sill as I peeked out.

Standing outside was Ratchet, studying a few birds that were sitting in one of the trees. I gasped at the sight. Quickly, I slapped my face and pinched my arm. He was still there. "Crap! So last night really did happen!?"

First, I felt dizzy. Then, my heart rate sped up and my skin started to tingle. In a moment of insanity, I threw myself on the bed, snatched up my pillow and took a deep breath. Slamming my face into the fluffed pillow, I proceeded to scream with all my might.

What a crazy world.

A good fifteen minutes of silence passed by, spending the time letting my nerves calm and trying to get my thoughts in order.

After composing myself, I made a grab for my robe and wrapped it around me. I ran down the stairs in a bout of giddiness. The least I could do was make best of the circumstances and move on with my life. That and I was just darn famished. Neither Adrianna nor I had eaten dinner last night.

Flipping on the stereo in the family room, "Face to Face" by Daft Punk started to play. Doing a quick spin in place, I started to dance my way into the kitchen. Twists and turns followed as I pulled out pots 'n' pans and headed to the fridge. Every time I bent down to open the bottom drawers, I'd do a little shake just for extra effect.

[AN: lol, if anyone has seen "Charlie's Angels", when Cameron Diaz does that dance in her undies, that's the one. xD

I could hear Adrianna coming down the stairs and quickly grabbed a wooden spoon. Suddenly, I slid in front of her at the end of the stairs, wooden spoon in hand like a mic. And with the worst voice I could muster, I sang, "It's amazing what you'll find, Face to faaaaaace! Face to face now!" I threw my head back and then twirled my head around, hair flying.

Needless to say, Adrianna had trouble breathing, she was laughing so hard. Grabbing her by the wrist, I dragged her into the kitchen to help with breakfast.

We got through making eggs, toast, cheesy cheesy grits, sausage and bacon. Definitely stuffed by the end of the meal, I decided to walk off some more energy with another song.

Grabbing Adrianna's hand, I started to dance with her. Holding her hand up above her, I twirled her over and over as her laughter filled the air. Eventually, I had to stop. The last thing I wanted to do was make her nauseous and then have breakfast lost on the floor. I definitely didn't feel like cleaning up any more messes.

We both continued to do the goofiest of dances, and I kept singing in completely way off pitches, anything to keep the feelings carefree and happy.

Putting on a serious face, I turned to Adrianna with the TV remote in hand this time and wailed out, "Don't stop come a little closer. As we jam, the rhythm gets stronger. There's nothing wrong with just a little, little fun. We were dancing all night loooooong."

Closing my eyes, I twirled and twisted, swaying to the music. I felt a strange sensation wash over. You know, the kind where you know you're being watch…I was facing the window when my eyes popped open.

And there was Ironhide, staring at us through the window.

Shock. I was so frightened by the intrusion that I jump then skittered back a few steps.

Then there was a scream.

And Boom! Out cold.

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About three hours later, Adrianna had informed me that I had fainted, which I translated into, 'Oh my god, I nearly died of embarrassment. How much more literal can one get?'

Catching my bearings, I got dressed and headed outside to do some daily chores.

Before I could even make it half ways to the barn, I was intercepted by Ratchet, who drove up to my side and proceeded to transform.

"Ms. Carlie, how are you feeling? Ironhide had informed me that you had fainted earlier this morning."

I gave a wry smirk at the mention of the 'peeping tom' as I now nicknamed him. "I'm fine, Ratchet. Thanks for your concern. I was just a little too shocked when I caught him staring at us through the window."

Ratchet's head turned to the side, "I do not understand. Why did his observation cause you to panic?"

I had to sigh, "There are just some things people should not do, such as invading one's privacy…and peeping through windows when someone is trying to have private time."

"Ah, private time, such as "Happy Time" as Sam's mother had put it."

[AN: 'falls out of chair'

A look of confusion flittered across my face at the words, "Happy Time?" Something just didn't seem right about that phrase.

Ratchet went into further detail, "During the incident of the Allspark, Sam was searching for an item in his house when his parent's disrupted the search. Judging from their voices, they seemed distressed. She had mentioned something about accusing him of masturbating and codenamed it "happy time."

My eyes widened at the tale…a few moments passed in awkward silence. And then I busted out laughing. "H-Ha-Happy Time!?" I clutched my stomach, the shear force of my laughter causing me to double over. "Oh my god, that has to be." I continued to gasp between words. "One of the funniest things, I have ever heard!" Throwing my head back, I fell down as laughter continued to wrack my body.

Ratchet took a finger from each of his hands and placed them lightly on my shoulders, trying to keep me from spazzing all over the ground. "Carlie, are you sure you are all right?"

A few more laughs left me. "I'm sorry, Ratchet, but I'll be ok. That was just so hilarious." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I looked up to him and smiled. "Thank you. That was so stress relieving. Just what the doctor ordered."

"What the doctor ordered? I was not aware you sought medical assistance last evening."

"Huh?" I gave him a stupid look at that comment. It took me a second to remember, he's a robot, not a human. Our behavioral mannerisms weren't instilled in him. "Ah…It's a figurative phrase. I did not literally go see a doctor. I simply meant that it was what I needed. I feel much better."

Giving a nod of understanding, he transformed back into a vehicle. "I must go now. I have rounds to make." And then he took off. I wondered what rounds he could possibly be making. Perhaps he works as an actual rescue vehicle.

Shrugging, I stood up and brushed off my jeans. Heading towards the barn, I had a little spring cleaning to do. The place wasn't filthy, but it did beg for a little clean up.

Some old, empty boxes and clutter littered the floors and shelves. With a deep breath, I set to work. Shifting through the mess, sorting out what needed to stay and what could go, a pile of trash building up at the entrance of the barn.

A good hour had passed, when I finally finished the task. Reaching one of the stalls, I stepped inside and picked up the rake and rummaged around for a rag and a large rubber band. Once I found them, I wrapped the old cloth around the end of the rake and used the rubber band to tie it tight.

Stepping out of the stall, I was confronted by a slightly hunched over Ironhide, already in his robot form. A pregnant pause and then I coughed. "Uh…Hi." 'Peeping Tom', I mentally added.

He turned his head slightly and just stared at me with a raised brow. I could not help but think how odd that seemed. A robot…with a brow. I was more of a country girl, that and I rarely watched television, so the concept seemed a little farfetched, but here he was.

Finally, he responded with a nod and continued to watch me as I moved on. Lifting the rake up, rag faced outward, I started to dust off all the cobwebs that had accumulated in the barn. I could feel Ironhide's gaze as he watched me work. Figuring he was just being 'observant' again, I ignored it. Starting to hum a little tune, I got into a rhythm with the cleaning, till I hit a spot I couldn't reach. I tried standing on my tip toes to get at it, but to no avail. Letting out a little frustrated sigh, I started to jump, trying to hit the darn cobweb.

Movement and a small rumble of a chuckle came from behind me; then, the rake was plucked from my hands ever so gently as Ironhide silently dusted off the last spot. I turned around and gave out a soft, "Thank you." With a nod, he handed the rake back to me.

An uncomfortable silence came between us. Or at least it was to me. Can he even feel that way? I noticed him shift slightly, adopting a humanlike gesture. I guess he can.

Looking up at his face, I smiled and turned back to the stall to put the rake away. I raised my voice a little so he could clearly hear me. "So, do you have rounds to make as well?"

A gruff, "No" came from him and I walked out of the still.

"Well, if you'd like, we can hang. It's a good chance to get to know you. After all, you did save my life."

He gave a shrug in return.

Letting out a little sigh, I tried to keep my cool at his indifference. Walking over to the pile of trash, I started to grab as much of it as I could. Noticing my actions, Ironhide walked over and used one hand to snatch up everything. My eyes widened at the sight and I stared up at him, not knowing what he was doing.

"Where?"

A smile crept to my face as I realized he wanted to help. With a giddy step, I headed out of the barn. "Just to the front of the fencing, next to the road leading to the entrance to the ranch. I really need to move it to the entrance, but I don't want your cover to be blown."

He just nodded and walked ahead of me, dropping the trash in a pile next to the dirt road. When I finally caught up, I dropped my load and dusted my hands off. "Thanks, that helped much." I took a second to think about what to do next in the brief pause of conversation. "Say, why don't we go check up on Moo? I'm sure he misses you." I winked then gave out a laugh when Ironhide snorted.

Walking back towards the house, I made my way over to the pig pen. Looking back over my shoulders I could see him follow. Not that one couldn't simply here him take giant steps.

"Aww, come on! Moo loves you soooooooo much." I batted my lashes and clasped my hands together like some love sick fan.

He proceeded to cross his arms. "I cannot stand that rodent. I should obliterate him."

"Hey! Don't you dare hurt Moo! He's a member of the family." I shouted indignantly.

"I wouldn't miss him." I snorted and pointed my finger at him.

"Well, you're just a temp, darlin', so your opinion on the matter doesn't count." Acting a little childish, I stuck my tongue out at him. Turning around, I climbed onto the fence and called over the little piggie. A quick suwee and he came trotting over, snorting all the way into my arms. "Why hello, my little darling!" I cooed.

I turned over to Ironhide as he gave an annoyed grunt and caught him rolling his eyes.

I rolled mine in turn and climbed up on the fence, this time sitting on it, Moo still in my arms.

"So.." Ironhide kneeled down at this and continued to stare at me. "since you're here and you do not really seem to be busy, perhaps you could help me with something later on today?" I cringed a little as I asked my question. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's having to bother someone with a request.

"Why not? Optimus told me to watch over you and the other little human while I was here anyways."

"Oh. Well, thanks for your help." I thought it a little strange that Optimus told him to watch over Adrianna and me. I guess he wants to make sure we don't spill the beans by accident. Especially with Adrianna, she was still just a child. And they do tend to let things slip unintentionally. Damage control.

"Anyways, about earlier today…"

"What about it?" he grunted out. Obviously, he didn't want to talk about it since he looked somewhere else.

"Uh, well…I was a little shocked that you caught me in the act." I laughed a wry laugh as I admitted to it.

"That is an understatement. I do not understand why you fainted." This time he did look at me.

"Oh, well…um. I was really embarrassed. Adri and I aren't used to having guests around to catch us 'goofing around' so to speak. I just didn't expect ya'll to come looking. In fact, I never took you for a peeping tom." I suddenly smirked deviously as I changed up my game.

"Peeping tom?" Ironhide's confusion was clearly written on his face. Immediately, he looked up the words.

I however continued on, "Yes, peeping tom. I didn't know you enjoyed watching young women through windows without their knowledge." My smirk grew wider at the notion.

"How does that—even—I," Ironhide was a bit baffled at her implications.

I couldn't help but giggle. "You were peeping, and peeping is very naughty." I wagged my finger at him.

Too speechless, Ironhide fell back on his rear staring at me with a strange look as I laughed heartily.

"You humans are very strange."

"Indeed." I nodded then twirled. "But you're fun to poke at. So don't always take what I say too seriously, 'k?"

Ironhide just continued to stare. I smiled at him and walked closer. Curious. I touched his leg, the metal cool to the touch. "Wow, you're so nice and cool. Now I know who to call if the air conditioner dies."

He made a sour face and nudged me with his finger. I stumbled back and let my laughter carry me away.

-------------------------------------------

Hours had passed as we continued on with our conversation. Throwing teasing suggestions and causal banter about anything and everything Ironhide knew or questioned about human culture, we went on without a care.

It had been years since I had talked to someone as I did with him. So long I spent with children, that it was refreshing talking to someone, who by my standards, was an amazing and intelligent adult even if he wasn't familiar with human customs. Amazing how I found friendship so quickly and from an alien robot no less.

I stretched and yawned as I stood up. Checking my watch, I gasped. "Oh! I have to make a phone call to the repair shop. I gotta see if my car's ready. I'll be back in a jiffy."

He nodded and I raced into the house. Heading into the hallway, I snatched up the cordless off the end table. Quickly shifting through the phonebook, I found the number to the dealership and dialed it in. The mechanic informed me that the car was ready for pick up. I said I'd be there soon.

Hanging up the phone, I called for Adrianna. "Adri! We've gotta head out to the repair shop to pick up the car! Meet me out front, sweetie!"

I heard an 'ok' from the upstairs and stepped back outside. Walking up to Ironhide, I looked up at him and told him what was going on. "Hey, the mechanic says my car is ready. I'm just waiting on Adrianna to get ready."

Ironhide nodded and started to shift back into his truck form. He popped open the driver's side and I hopped in. I felt a little giddy as I sat in the front seat. I rested my hands on the steering wheel and ran my fingers across the symbol in the center. "Neat symbol."

I saw the radio light up. "It's the Autobot Insignia."

"Ah, I see. That's pretty cool." Adrianna then came flying out the door as she always does and made her way to the truck. Pulling open the passenger door, she climbed her way in, a look of excitement on her face. "Cool! We're taking Ironhide!" She slid over and the door closed on its own. The engine started then revved.

My first action was our seatbelts. "Safety first, young lady."

Adrianna sat still as I strapped her in. "Yes Ma'am."

Taking a hold of the steering wheel, I shifted into drive and we were on our way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

We were having a decent time during the trip, already entering the more populated parts on the outskirts of Tranquility. Adrianna kept telling the strangest and funniest of stories. Then she started to tell us a story that held a trick question at the end. I sat there thinking so hard, when Ironhide produced the correct answer. I felt a little embarrassed at how simple the answer turned out to be.

Shaking my head, I laughed, "I can be so shallow sometimes." Realizing the implications of that, I shouted out a quick, "_Don't_ you say a _word_, either of you." The car shook as his laughter blared from the radio. Adrianna gave a small giggle behind her hand.

Then out of no where someone rammed into us from behind. "What the-!?" I braced onto the steering wheel as I was jerked forward. I tried to speed the car up, seeing the car behind us tailing us so closely. Adrianna screamed as we were hit again, this time from the left. The car swerved hard to the right, and I tried to straighten us out again to keep from hitting the side railing.

"What in the name of God do they think they're doing!?"

Once again we were hit, but at the same time. The collision from both cars pushed us so far forward that Ironhide began to slide across the road, losing some control.

"Carlie! I'm scared!" My hands tightened on the steering. "It's ok, just hold on tight!"

We slid to the right, the cars still smashing into us. I was winded, but managed to grab a hold of Adrianna to make sure she was ok. The two cars came to a screeching halt and the attackers rushed out of their cars.

Seeing this, my heart started to pound even harder than it already was. They planned to take us? Panic filled me at the thought of something happening to Adrianna. "Ironhide, please!" cried out in desperation. Just as the assailants were closing in, the locks went down and the car flew into reverse, tires screeching. I opened my eyes only to see both men pull out guns. Ironhide's headlights flashed on temporarily blinding them, giving him enough time to take off down the road. Looking back, I could see them scrambling to get back in their cars.

"Ironhide." A little desperation still in my voice.

The radio flickered. "It's ok. I've got it." A part of me felt relief and hope as he said those words. I hugged Adrianna closer as she whimpered. "It's ok, darlin'. Ironhide will protect us."

He was picking up so much speed. I didn't want to even imagine how fast we were going. Swerving through other cars and making turns left and right, He tried to put as much distance between our attackers as possible. Zooming past the last stop light in the small town, which happened to be red, we hit the first of the corn fields. He took a sharp left onto one of the dirt paths leading into the first field. He then shifted, taking another left, mowing down stalks covering us up completely.

"Stay quiet." He spoke softly.

I tried my best to calm my breathing and hugged Adrianna close as we waited. Seconds felt like minutes as the time passed. Waiting and waiting. Listening for any signs of being caught.

I heard some strange noises come from Ironhide's radio and stared in confusion. Then I heard his voice. "Optimus, we ran into a bit of a problem…"

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Whoo! Almost 4,000 words! New record! Lol. I hope you all enjoyed this installment. Take care, and see ya next chapter. ;o

Please don't be shy. Leave a review or e-mail me if you have any questions, concerns, comments? I would love to hear from you. :3


	6. Chapter 6

I am so sorry this took so long to get out! I had to go to Texas for a week to help my father come home from a very long business trip. I was pretty sure we'd have internet where we were staying…Wrong! None. Zip. Zilch. Zero. :x Also, the evening before we planned to leave for home, one of the cars died on us. Dx We had to call a friend to come fix it, and it took a few days. We had to wait 'cause it was the only car with a hitch, and we had a huge trailer to bring home. x.x But anywho, it's good to be back. I truly hope you enjoy this chapter. And thank you so much for all of your lovely reviews.

For those of you who have stories that have been updated. I will be reading them asap. I cannot wait to read your latest chapters and will get my reviews in as soon as I finish reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Transformers, but I do own the greatest pair of fuzzy socks. I can slip across the room like Tom Cruise did in those sleek sunglasses. :o –air guitars-

Taking Care of You

I had never felt so unnerved. It was one thing to be attacked by Eric, but at least I knew he was crazy. This…this was an entirely different thing. Adrianna continued to clutch me as Ironhide drove us out to the countryside. He said we were going to meet up with the others.

Sighing, I thought over the events. Why are they after us? Was it just a random car jacking? Deep down inside I knew that wasn't true. Why would they waste their cars for mine? It just wasn't logical. A cold chill ran through me as memories of them approaching the car flashed through my mind.

I felt the car pull off the road and onto rougher terrain. Focusing once again on the view ahead, I could see everyone parked out in the grass, waiting for our arrival.

As soon as Ironhide stopped, I popped open the door and hopped out. Turning around, I reached for Adrianna, helping her down. When her feet hit the floor, she was running off towards the others. I stepped back and watched as everyone transformed. I saw Ironhide walking over to Optimus, and he began explaining the situation to everyone.

Every now and then Adrianna would fiddle around near Optimus' foot. I had to shout to Adrianna to stop bothering Optimus while he was talking, but the Autobot just knelt down and picked her up, my heart lurching at the thought of her falling down. But, Optimus had a good grip on the hyperactive girl and rested her on his palm.

I stood on the ground, waiting for them to get caught up on the situation when Ironhide nudged me with his finger. I stumbled then turned around, only to be greeted with his outstretched palm. Taking the hint, I crawled on, making myself comfortable between his middle and ring finger, wrapping my arms around them.

Ratchet ran a diagnostic on Ironhide to make sure the damages weren't going to be a problem. He did seem a little nitpicky about scratches and dents. The last time, I fell in the chicken coop and was cut by a dangling wire, he held me up for an hour just to make sure I hadn't gotten any bacteria in it. I got to hear a lecture about the inner workings of an infection. It was a complete snooze-fest.

My feet dangled as I kicked them back and forth, back and forth, just staring at the ground as the meeting progressed. I know I should be listening, but everything just seemed to come out as "blah blah blah." I sighed as I closed my eyes, relaxing a bit.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but a light, 'ahem' brought me out of my reverie. Looking up, everyone was staring at me. It felt like my face was up in flames. I knew I probably looked like a tomato. "Uh…I'm sorry. What was that?" I could hear Adrianna laughing at me. I gave a slight cough and grimaced.

"As I was saying, Carlie, do you have the faintest idea as to why you were targeted earlier?" Opitmus leaned in to make sure he'd catch all of my response.

I leaned back a little uncomfortable with his proximity. "Um…Well to be honest, no. I mean, when I started to think about it, I only came up with a few reasons, but the more I thought about it, the more preposterous they seemed. First, I thought it could have just been a random car jacking, but then…why would they have busted up two perfectly good cars just to get to mine? Then, I thought, maybe they were after us? But that wouldn't' make sense. What could they possibly want with two country girls? And the only person who I know of with a grudge would be crazy ol' Eric, but he's in a mental ward. And I doubt he was sane enough to hire someone to come get us, especially so quickly. Maybe they just wanted to kidnap Adrianna and hold her for ransom? Or perhaps they wanted to ship us off to some foreign country to be sold as slaves. Then I thought what if they knew who and what Ironhide is and wanted to go after him? But that would be stupid because well…" I looked up at Ironhide then back to Optimus. "Who would be stupid enough to take on a giant, heavily armed robot with just two people with puny handguns?" I shrugged when I finished. "Seriously, I have no firm idea as to why those men attacked us."

Optimus nodded when I finished. Standing straight once again, he motioned to the others. "I suggest we keep an eye out. Try to stay nearby. We don't know if these people will come back or if more will come." Optimus gazed at Ironhide, " Ironhide, please keep watch over both Carlie and Adrianna when we are away. I'm enlisting you as their temporary guardian." Ironhide gave him a nod and a quick, "Yes sir."

My face scrunched up at the thought of being babysat, but I bit down my pride. After all, my safety wasn't as important as that of Adrianna's. Did I really want to throw a tantrum over being watched when Adri's life was as much in danger as mine? Giving out a rough huff of air, I crossed my arms over my chest and set a small, angry pout on my face to make up for the lost 'battle'.

Ironhide stared down at me, eyebrow raised.

I just continued on with a little grunt and shifted in his hand, my legs no longer dangling. Adrianna started laughing again then tried to crawl up Otimus' arm. "Heeeeeeeey!" She shouted as he plucked her up. He had her by the back of her shirt, she lay there spinning slightly. Starting to flail in frustration, she jerked this way and that. Optimus stared on in wonder and raised her right up to his face. "Yes?"

Her lip hung out in a pout, upping the twinklie factor in her eyes. Optimus just continued to stare.

I couldn't help myself as I busted out laughing, my previous attitude forgotten. "That's, the first time your puppy face has failed." I laughed on long after she glared at me. The others just looked on in confusion, quickly looking up the word, "Puppy face" in the World Wide Web.

When Optimus realized what the look meant, he gave out a simple, "What is it you require, Adrianna?"

She smiled the brightest of smiles. My eyes rolled playfully, and I smiled as well.

"Can you play with me?" Adrianna lifted her arms out, scrunching her fingers at him. "Please?"

Everyone sort of paused at that. "Play with you?"

No one had ever asked him to play with them before. It seemed a bit odd to be asked such a question. Optimus kept staring at Adrianna.

I thought it was awkward. How would a giant robot play with a little girl without squashing her? That, and did he even know how to play? Slowly, my eyebrow lifted. This ought to be interesting. I wondered if I should have brought my video camera. It's not everyday you get to see a robot frolic with a child as they played house or sipped tea. Maybe they would even play a game of tag.

My face paled at the thought of that. God forbid if he squished my little Adri. I would never forgive him for that. I mean, I doubt he would really squish her. Optimus hasn't squished a human before, why would it happen now? Especially since all of the Autobots had taken such fine care of us already. I scratched my head as I further pondered how Adrianna meant to play with her latest friend.

I saw Optimus' optics blink and then he gave her a nod. Adrianna's squeal of delight was ear piercing. She started to flail violently as a loud "Yay!" filled the air. I admit, I didn't expect him to transform back into an 18-wheeler after he set her down. His door swung open and Adrianna climbed in. And what I saw next had me speechless. Adrianna was at the wheel, honking the horn like mad and yanking the steering wheel as she pretended to drive. The window rolled down and she began to hoot and holler. I was so baffled at the sight. I turned to look at the others. Ironhide gave me one look and I burst into fits of laughter. Some time had passed and I was still laughing.

In fact I was laughing so hard, I never noticed Ironhide setting me back on the ground. Tilting his palm, I slid down his fingers and to the ground. I kept laughing till my rear landed on the floor and I gave an, "Oof!"

"Hey! What was that for?" I got up and rubbed my rear. "That smarts."

A rumbling laugh came from him. "Well, you refused to listen to me earlier. I called out to you five times. I figured a little nudge would snap you out of it."

"Nudge is a gross understatement."

Continuing to rub my rear end, I walked over to Opitmus' driver side window and hoisted myself up by the step, completely ignoring Ironhide. My arms hung inside to keep me from falling back. Adrianna was still playing around with Optimus' dash board as he instructed her on how all the gears worked and what buttons did what. She was just as happy as could be.

I felt a deep grumbling come from behind me. Turning my head ever so slightly, I gave a nonchalant look towards Ironhide. "Yes?"

He gave out a strange 'harumph' "Are you even going to listen to what I asked?"

I turned a little more and drew out my arm, placing my pointer finger at my lip. I looked up, feigning thought. "Mmmm….No." Spinning back around, I gave him the cold shoulder.

"Hey!" He shouted so loudly, I squeaked and lost my balance, once again managing to fall on my back side.

"Hey, yourself!" I managed out as I recovered from the fall. Eyes squinting, I used my arm to cover up the sunlight and looked up at him. "You don't take rejection very well." A small smirk appeared on my lips and I gave a short laugh. "What is it?"

He knelt down next to me. "Don't' we have a car to pick up?"

I gasp as I jumped up from the ground in mild panic. "Oh crap, I totally forgot! We've gotta get there before they close up shop!"

Jumping up onto the door, I touched Adrianna on the shoulder and rushed my words. "Sweetie, we've gotta go. We still need to pick up the car."

She pouted and latched onto the steering wheel. "Aww, but it hasn't even been an hour! Can't we stay just a little longer?"

Frustrated, I pulled my hand roughly through my hair and let out a heavy sigh, "Darlin, I really need to go pick up the car. I promised Larry I would stop by to get it. Those boys aren't even supposed to be workin' today. We need to go."

Suddenly, Optimus' voice filled the cab. "I could watch over her till you return. It would not be a problem. Perhaps it would even be safer for her. Since, your assailants are not aware of our existence; she would be out of danger."

My face scrunched up at the notion. "Mmm, I don't know." I looked to Adrianna to see what she thought of it. Her hands were clapped together in a sign of prayer with her eyes closed. A little 'please please please' could be heard from her lips.

Optimus continued with his reasoning. "It will be much easier for Ironhide to deal with any dangers when there are fewer humans to watch over, if something serious were to occur."

An unsure look crossed over my face. I never liked leaving her behind. Perhaps it would be ok, after all, these weren't complete strangers, and Optimus is a giant robot. That has got to be, the best protection any parent could hope to find for their child.

Someone trying to harm your kid? Sic an alien robot guardian on him. Brings a whole new view to 'Sic 'em, boy!'

It does seem like an excellent idea, but I'll never admit to that without a little complaint. With a teasing glance, I pushed my look of insecurity.

"I'm still not sure….I mean-…" Adrianna broke in with her pleading, just as I was expecting. "Please! Please! Please! I promise I'll be good! Please!"

I gave a little smirk. How predictable. Her little lip jutted out and trembled as she softened her eyes at me. I swear this girl could be an actress. I laughed.

"Alright, alright, you can stay."

The second 'yay!' of the day came from her as she threw her hands up in the air. Then, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around my neck in thanks. I started to choke. This kid is so strong.

"Ok, ok, can I breathe now?" I exaggerated as I gasped for air. She immediately lifted herself off my person and sat down with her hands in her lap.

"Just make sure you behave. Optimus is in charge while I'm away, so you had best listen to what he says. If you give him trouble young lady, I'll find out." I pointed my finger and shook it in warning. Then I smiled and nodded my head. "Ok, I've gotta head out now. Take care of her Optimus. I won't be long."

Hopping down, I turned towards Ironhide and looked up at him, "Ready?"

He gave a nod and transformed back into a truck. I walked over and started to climb in when I heard Adrianna shout a quick 'bye and Love you!' to me. I smiled and repeated her words just as the window was rolling up. Just before I closed the door, I heard a squeal and resounding laughter come from the truck bed. I shook my head and smiled. "Kids…"

--

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out as I slid my hands up the steering wheel. I didn't move to start up the engine. Static went over the radio, and Ironhide's voice floated out of the speakers. "Something wrong?"

My eyes closed for a second, and then, I readjusted myself in the seat. "No, nothing is wrong. I guess I just…needed to take a moment to myself. Today wasn't exactly normal…well, as normal as usual with a group of robots disguised as cars living on my ranch for the weekend."

Ironhide was silent for a while. I started up the engine and made my way through the field, back to the paved roads.

We drove on in silence for a while. Ironhide was the first to break it.

"That man who attacked you the other day, you knew him?" I tensed at his question. It seemed so random for him to ask now. Thoughts of Eric ran through my mind.

"Yeah, I know him pretty well." There was another moment of awkward silence or at least it felt that way to me.

"Why was he so hostile?" I gave out an exasperated sigh, but Ironhide chose to ignore it and waited for my reply.

"I used to work at a mental institution. In my years as a teenager, I volunteered there to get in some community service hours. I figured it would look good on my college résumé; nothing says 'pick me!' like a student who likes to give back to the community. Anyway, I spent my time with a group of five people, Eric was one of them. The tasks I was assigned were never difficult. Most of them were just things like, playing simple board games, painting, taking them out for a walk around the building's gardens.

They really liked it when I would read them stories, Eric most of all. He would run up to me everyday I came to visit and give me a big hug. All of the people I spent time with weren't as mentally disabled as most people usually think. They categorize the patients by stages. Eric's IQ was the lowest of the group, or so the nurses working there told me. He appeared to have a more childish demeanor. They say he barely made it into the stage that he was in. I thought of him as the sweetest one of them all. We would go out to the gardens and pick flowers. He really liked it when I made garlands."

I laughed as I reminisced in a good memory. "I remember one time, when spring had just come and the flowers were blooming everywhere, we had made enough garlands for the whole wing. He dashed around the room putting garlands over everyone's head. He was so happy then."

My voice started to choke as a few tears spilled from my eyes. I quickly rubbed at them.

"What changed?"

I felt Ironhide take over driving as my arms fell into my lap. I started to wring my hands together.

"I blame his change solely on the new nurse recruit." Venom came from my voice as old memories flashed. "He was a complete bastard. I don't know why they let him in the institution. From the moment he walked through the door, I knew he was bad news. At first, I thought I was wrong in my assumptions. He acted so kind and caring in front of the other workers, but over time I started to notice a change in the patients. I sensed so much fear in their eyes every time he approached. I had made my suspicions of him known when I found bruises on one of his charges. I found the poor old man in a wheel chair in the star well. He was in the corner, severely beaten and crying. I was so appalled. It's bad enough that we have elderly people being abused in nursing homes, but to abuse a mental disabled person."

I shook my head violently, the anger seeping off me in waves. "I tried to help him, but he was in so much shock that he fought against me. After talking to him soothingly for an hour, he finally calmed down. He just kept saying, "I don't' understand." Even long after I got him to the head nurse and after the investigation, he never stopped saying it.

I think the saddest part was, that nurse was never punished for the crime. There wasn't enough evidence to prove he did it, so they kept him there. I swear to you he had the gall to laugh in my face over it. After that, we never got along. We always managed to do anything in out power to make each other's life miserable. From throwing objects at each other to the point where he pushed me down the stairs."

Under my feet I could feel the engine's vibrations as it revved indignantly. "Yeah, it took me a while to recover from that. I had noticed even more change when I was finally able to return. Everything was so dark. No one smiled anymore. It's amazing how one bad person can destroy the lives of so many…"

This time Ironhide snorted. "I can agree to that."

"Mmm…" I nodded my head in understanding.

"I figured I would be able to get back to work with my old friends and try to stay away from that blasted man. But when I visited them, no one wanted to have anything to do with me. It was like a mass depression had taken over the ward. And I noticed the worst change of them all. Eric had become so violent. So hostile. Every time I would try to get him to go take a walk outside with me or play a game, he would spit out vile words. Words that I know only one person could have taught him. It was like his whole being had switched to hating me. The last day I had spent with him is one of the most memorable events of my life.

It was the first time he tried to kill me."

My left arm clutched my waist as my other hand covered my eyes. Tears slipped down my face and my body shook. Trying my hardest, I tightened my hold and mentally berated myself for crying.

A shaky breath escaped me. "

"I'm sorry."

It was so sudden and unexpected. For a minute, I thought I hadn't heard it. "What are you sorry for? It's not your fault. The only one at fault is the man who turned Eric against me. How terrifying of a person, to manipulate such an innocent mind. Eric was ruined by him, but that nurse got what he deserved even though it was at the cost of my dear friend."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"A year after I had left the institution, I found a picture of Eric and the nurse in the front page of the newspaper. There had been a struggle between the two in one of the empty rooms. They believe he had initiated the attack against Eric with the intent to shoot him, but after all the manipulation and scheming, he truly had turned Eric into a monster. Eric won out and shot the bastard point blank. As terrible as it sounds, that man got what he deserved. And I will always be grateful to Eric for ending that nightmare and saving the others from facing an end similar to his own."

I held my breath as I waited for a reply. I didn't know how he would react to my feelings on the matter. Wishing such a fate on someone could never really be a good thing.

"Your reasoning is very interesting."

I released the breath I had been holding.

"Indeed."

--

We finally pulled up to the parking garage. A sense of disappointment filled me as I noticed the garage doors closed and the lights to the office looked off. I could see my old beat up '84 Chevy pickup resting behind the fence, a lock and chains tightly securing the gate.

"Damn, it doesn't look open, but I'll check anyways. I'll only be a few." I got out of the car and slammed the door shut, a little upset at being so late. A gruff, 'hey!' was shouted and I winced. "Sorry."

I whipped my hair behind my back as I walked up to the office door. With a quick prayer, I reached for the handle and twisted it. "Come on, be open." The knob turned all the way and with renewed happiness, I swung the door open and stepped in. My eyes were closed but I sported a huge grin as I shouted a "Hey guys, I'm here!" The door slammed behind me from its heavy weight. I opened my eyes…

And screamed.

There was blood….everywhere. Bodies were strewn across the room. One was sitting in a waiting room chair, blood flowing from his chest as it pooled around his feet. There were two more bodies lying on the ground. My heart was racing and my breath was hurried. I looked up at the counter and noticed bloodied hand prints smeared on the wall with bullets lining next to them. I was frozen in place.

Suddenly, the roof was ripped from its hinges and I screamed in surprise. When Ironhide's head appeared I started crying and ran out of the building. I closed in on Ironhide as I fell to the ground and clutched his leg. "Oh my God. Oh my God." I gripped him even harder and buried my face into him as I released the most pain filled of screams.

"This—is a nightmare. It just—It just _has_ to be," I wailed out. I started to shake violently, barely hearing Ironhide. Though I couldn't understand the words, I knew he was trying to comfort me.

I gave another ear piercing scream, "This is all _wrong!_"

--

Hope ya'll like it. I deem it another one of my iffy chapters. x.x

(07/23/08: Havent' given up on this story, just stuck in a writer's block with it.)


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